Body Dynamics Headquarters

From DOWNdawg yoga — that’s power yoga with loud hiphop tunes — to kettlebells and baby boot camp, Body Dynamics offers a big range of fitness programs. But you wouldn’t know unless you wandered into the studio, located down a short alley off Johnson Street. The front entrance looks like an old garage, and hey, wouldn’t you know, the first thing you notice inside is a stack of tires.

“Tires are great for exercise — we use them in our ‘burnout’ program,” says Michele Shorter, the owner and driving force behind Body Dynamics. “You can use them for almost every exercise, from weight lifting to stretching,” she adds.

In fact, most of what Body Dynamics does is different than your usual rec centre fitness program. “No one here works out alone,” says Shorter. “We are in business to change lives, and we, with our clients, are accountable for their success. Everyone who comes in here is partnered with a personal trainer or is part of a group.”

While chatting, Shorter called over James Beckerley, one of the trainers at Body Dynamics. Beckerley is a Russian kettlebell challenge certified instructor with arms most men only dream about. The kettlebell program was developed by a Russian who used to train the Soviet secret police and Olympic athletes. It is highly effective if Beckerley is anything to go by.

Shorter has been a personal trainer for 15 years and started Body Dynamics because she wanted her own space. “I had been running boot camps all over the city for years and it was just time to establish a base,” she said. In the short time the studio has been open, growth has been rapid.

With a dozen personal trainers on staff and about 100 people in for exercise each day, most of her time is now spent on managing day-to-day operations. “Running the business has been the toughest part,” says Shorter. “I seem to be spending all my time on paperwork, doing personal marketing, and making sure everything is running smoothly, but we’re growing and that is satisfying.”

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